LGBT Network holds gender-affirming clothing drive for the holidays

A nondescript meeting room at the LGBT Network headquarters became a wonderland for self-expression during the organization’s first-ever holiday transgender clothing drive in Hauppauge Saturday.

Racks of sparkly dresses, winter jackets and formalwear filled the impromptu boutique, which also featured tables of casualwear, chest binders, accessories and shoes, from sneakers to stilettos.

Though open to all, the free event was geared toward transgender and nonbinary people building a wardrobe that aligns with their gender identity.

“Going to a department store at the mall, everything’s gendered,” said Robert Vitelli, chief executive of the LGBT Network, who said that can be “uncomfortable.”

Fashion has always been a means of individuality, but Vitelli said it’s especially important to the trans community, as it's often the first way to experiment with gender expression.

Shoppers at Saturday’s event ran the gamut from teenagers to a transgender woman in her mid-50s who recently began hormone therapy and has not come out publicly.

Many said the LGBT Network has provided support and acceptance amid a social and political climate that leaves members of their community fearful. More than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills targeting transgender and nonbinary people have been introduced nationwide this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Those proposed and passed laws could make it more onerous for transgender youth to get medical and mental health care.

“It can be a very unsettling space, so this is providing a safe, affirming space,” Vitelli said. “Part of our mission is to help LGBT people be themselves.”

Miles Rocco, 17, of Cutchogue, browsed the racks with his friend Camila Moran, 18, of Medford, each filling a shopping bag with new threads. 

Rocco, who accessorized with a septum piercing, described his style as “emo” and  said he usually shops at thrift stores or online. 

“I wanted to get more gender-neutral feminine clothing,” he said. “It’s really nice to have somewhere where you can go and it’s all free.”

Nearby, Jason Armus, 15, of Long Beach, combed through racks of button-downs and polos for a new formal outfit.

“We have some Christmas stuff going on,” he said. “I wanted to have some stuff I feel comfortable wearing other than dresses.” 

Vitelli said donations have been pouring in for weeks and the event was requested by members of the trans community. The LGBT Network hosts several social and support programs, including Long Island Transgender Experience, or LITE, for adults, and Friday Night Out, a hangout for LGBTQ youth.

He hopes to periodically host clothing drives as the seasons change and ahead of popular events like the LGBT Prom each spring. 

Volunteer Tori Salberg said she felt a sense of pride seeing items from her closet on the racks.

“Why keep all this stuff that’s just collecting dust,” said Salberg, 55, of Selden. “If somebody else can wear it and feel good about themselves.”